Tree giveaway is big draw at Earth Day event

By Josh Baugh :
April 21, 2012
: Updated: April 21, 2012 10:59pm

Paul Johnson, a regional urban forester for the Texas Forest Service, uses "tree tai chi" during Earth Day celebrations Saturday April 21, 2012, at Woodlawn Lake to explain how to properly plant saplings. CPS Energy gave away 1,500 trees during the annual event.

Photo By JOSH BAUGH/San Antonio Express-News

Paul Johnson, a regional urban forester for the Texas Forest Service, uses “tree tai chi” during Earth Day celebrations Saturday April 21, 2012, at Woodlawn Lake to explain how to properly plant saplings. CPS Energy gave away 1,500 trees during the annual event.

Veronica White has a single oak tree in her front yard and none in the back, but she aimed to fix that on Saturday as she stood in line to get a free one from CPS Energy at the 2012 Earth Day celebration.

A Converse resident who described herself as “over 60” years old, White arrived early to this year's event at Woodlawn Lake on San Antonio's near West Side. She stood in line for only about 15 minutes before getting to make her selection from six species.

“I came a long time ago, but I got here so late I didn't get a very good tree,” she said.

The annual green celebration — one of about 40 official events on Saturday — is the only one that's focused on educating the public, Earth Day Chairman Joe Alderete said. When he took over the event in 2003, it had dwindled to only having a few booths. This year's event, by contrast, had more than 60.

Alderete credits the success of the Earth Day event to his marketing ploy that required all vendors to give away at least 500 items. Based on their long lines, the day's two main attractions were the 1,500 free trees from CPS Energy and a chance to win a free CD player by guessing the number of cigarette butts in a jar.

Alderete said free wildflower seeds were also a big hit.

But the trees were clearly the main attraction. Every few minutes, Texas Forest Service Regional Urban Forester Paul Johnson gave a demonstration to people waiting in line for trees on how to appropriately plant the saplings.

Calling it “tree tai chi,” Johnson asked onlookers to reach out wide, and then bending at the elbows, bring their hands back in to their chests. With just a few inches between their top hand and bottom hand, participants learned the appropriate depth to plant.

Through the tree tai chi, Johnson explained that the saplings should be planted immediately in shallow, wide holes — no extra soil or peat moss needed.

“This is always an extremely popular activity,” he said of the tree giveaway. “It's just amazing that so many people want to come out and help green San Antonio.”

New trees are desperately needed across Texas, he said. The Forest Service estimates that last year alone, some 3 million to 7 million trees in cities across the state died because of the serious drought conditions.

Another half-billion trees in rural and wild areas were lost, too, Johnson said.

As San Antonians help replace the tree stock here, they're also helping themselves. Trees planted in the right location near homes can help reduce energy costs by providing shade.